Single rider golf carts to speed up play?

[JerseyThursday]

The manufacturer claims that if a foursome were to use these instead of conventional 2 person carts it can cut off an hour+ from an 18 hole round.
Probably is a time saver, but on the rare times I’m riding in a cart, its usually with a buddy on a special occasion and I enjoy the conversation while riding together.

[newtogolf]

Poor pace of play isn't due to 2 person carts, it's due to the 2 people in the carts not knowing how to use the cart properly.  Single person carts would eliminate the problem, but it's a more expensive solution for golf courses that are already feeling the impact of less golfers and revenue.

I'd rather see courses give a quick education on the proper use of carts, i.e. you don't ride with your playing partner to his ball, wait for him to take his shot and then drive over to your ball to take your shot.  Instead ride to closest ball, drop him off with his clubs and then ride to your ball.

[whatwoodtigerdo]

That looks quite uncomfortable. But newtogolf is right, slow people would still be slow. I've seen a foursome where both carts go ball by ball. Also the conversation in the cart after the hole or between shots when no one is hitting is an absolute time waster and a lot of high handicappers do it. I am somewhat patient but nothing gets to me like looking at a group in front of me and no one has hit a ball for 2+ minutes. Someone should be hitting AT ALL TIMES.

[David in FL]

Poor pace of play isn't due to 2 person carts, it's due to the 2 people in the carts not knowing how to use the cart properly.  Single person carts would eliminate the problem, but it's a more expensive solution for golf courses that are already feeling the impact of less golfers and revenue.

I'd rather see courses give a quick education on the proper use of carts, i.e. you don't ride with your playing partner to his ball, wait for him to take his shot and then drive over to your ball to take your shot.  Instead ride to closest ball, drop him off with his clubs and then ride to your ball.

Ding, ding, ding.......we have a winner!

[MS256]

At the country club where I used to be a member everybody had their own carts and it looked like the Oklahoma land rush coming off of the tee boxes.

Their 12:30 game (which was usually 4 or 5 foursomes) was done with 18 holes before 3:00 o'clock every day (so 4 foursomes entirely done in 2 1/2 hours playing for money).

When my boss where I work now wants to play 9 holes after work he always wants us to take 2 carts (because he's always in a hurry) and we always play 9 holes in less than 45 minutes.

So anybody that thinks everybody having their own cart doesn't save time is kidding themselves. It wouldn't "stop slow play" but if I am going to bet on how fast my foursome can play a round I'll take singles to a cart every time.

That said, I much prefer sharing carts if I'm playing with my son or wife or anybody else that I like to visit with.

[ghalfaire]

Nice looking cart but not sure how stable it would be on the hills and valleys on most courses.  In any case it would not solve the slow play problem.

[Archie Bunker]

That single rear wheel would put a lot of weight and stress on the turf, especially in wet conditions. I would expect to see plenty of single wheel ruts if something like this would become common. Get out and walk!

[Maddog10]

At times our foursome will all use our own personal cart at the local course where we have sheds. It does cut a large amount of time off the round when everyone can drive to their own ball and be ready to play. I miss the conversation aspect of it, but the speed of play is nice. Most of the time we just take 2 carts with two people per cart, but if we are looking to speed things up we take separate carts and I would say it does save close to an hour.

[Dave2512]

Until they make a cart that can help find errant shots and the resulting missing balls it wouldn't matter. Though the real issue is being brain dead and inconsiderate, those that think their enjoyment on the course is maximized by playing every inch of it. If courses and golfers were serious about speeding up play they would ask for and agree to bust out a handicap card and assign tees appropriate to their skill level.

[newtogolf]

Until they make a cart that can help find errant shots and the resulting missing balls it wouldn't matter. Though the real issue is being brain dead and inconsiderate, those that think their enjoyment on the course is maximized by playing every inch of it. If courses and golfers were serious about speeding up play they would ask for and agree to bust out a handicap card and assign tees appropriate to their skill level.

A bit off topic but maybe golf courses could help with that by charging less for the shorter tees.  This way the golfer makes a conscious and financial decision about which tees they want to play from.

[Crim]

From what I've seen...carts are not the problem. Not even close.

Slow people will be slow.

[Big C]

Quote:

From what I've seen...carts are not the problem. Not even close.

Slow people will be slow.

I'll play devil's advocate here. Yes, there are some people that are just going to play slow regardless. Maybe it's in their DNA. But the vast majority (in my opinion) play slowly due to their ignorance about the various ways that play can be sped up. They drive to their partner's ball, watch their partner hit, then drive to theirs - for no other reason then because that's just the way that they think golf is played.

For those people, a single rider cart would eliminate that issue altogether. I think it's a great idea and would not mind one bit if single rider carts became the norm on golf courses everywhere.

As to the social issue, I find that most of my socializing comes on the tee box as we are waiting to hit our first shots. Once my first ball is in play, I tend to be focused more on my next shot then I am on conversation with my cart-mate.

[David in FL]

Quote:

I'll play devil's advocate here. Yes, there are some people that are just going to play slow regardless. Maybe it's in their DNA. But the vast majority (in my opinion) play slowly due to their ignorance about the various ways that play can be sped up. They drive to their partner's ball, watch their partner hit, then drive to theirs - for no other reason then because that's just the way that they think golf is played.

For those people, a single rider cart would eliminate that issue altogether. I think it's a great idea and would not mind one bit if single rider carts became the norm on golf courses everywhere.

As to the social issue, I find that most of my socializing comes on the tee box as we are waiting to hit our first shots. Once my first ball is in play, I tend to be focused more on my next shot then I am on conversation with my cart-mate.

You blame the cart......not the ignorant golfers.  Fix the golfers and you solve the problem.

[Dave2512]

There are a bazillion slow play threads here and everyone has a different opinion of what the cause is. My opinion is how fast a golfer gets to their ball only speeds up that part of it. Assuming they can find it and drive directly to it without waiting on someone else. Misuse of carts is way down on the list of things I see causing slow play. The primary cause I witness starts on the tee and it's always the same profile of golfer. The younger male knocking balls in every direction that plays too far back.

[Big C]

You blame the cart......not the ignorant golfers.  Fix the golfers and you solve the problem.

I'm not really in the interest of assigning blame, as much as having a discussion about real solutions to a problem. "Fix the golfers" (whatever that means) isn't going to happen because nobody thinks they are the problem. Slow play has still persisted despite numerous efforts to educate golfers on ways to speed up the game. Tee it forward/While we're young, etc.

[David in FL]

I'm not really in the interest of assigning blame, as much as having a discussion about real solutions to a problem. "Fix the golfers" (whatever that means) isn't going to happen because nobody thinks they are the problem. Slow play has still persisted despite numerous efforts to educate golfers on ways to speed up the game. Tee it forward/While we're young, etc.

Agree.  But the issue lies with the golfers.  Not with whatever means they choose to get around the course.

[Dave2512]

I'm not really in the interest of assigning blame, as much as having a discussion about real solutions to a problem. "Fix the golfers" (whatever that means) isn't going to happen because nobody thinks they are the problem. Slow play has still persisted despite numerous efforts to educate golfers on ways to speed up the game. Tee it forward/While we're young, etc.

IMO it's not so much that nobody thinks they are the problem as what people perceive paying green fees allows the to do. Some are ignorant but my experience is entitlement is a bigger factor. People think paying the fee is akin to admission to an amusement park, they are there to enjoy themselves regardless how it affects others.

Personally I love being out there and I am never in a hurry to get off the course. I dislike speed golf more than slow golf. The only frustration from slow play is watching the madness unfold before my eyes. Especially when it gets so slow eventually people behind, maybe even a couple of groups are waiting on me. It has a way of disrupting the harmony of the course. I don't care if someone playing decent golf is all Furyk on the greens if they get there in two shots. What kills it is watching the guy on the way to shooting 100+ playing from 7000 yards that hit a succession of bad shots and then does that after spending to much time looking for balls. Then and only then am I ready to GTFOOT.

[jamo]

Playing devil's advocate a bit here, but: [quote name="newtogolf" url="/t/73915/single-rider-golf-carts-to-speed-up-play/0_30#post_977533"] Poor pace of play isn't due to 2 person carts, it's due to the 2 people in the carts not knowing how to use the cart properly. Single person carts would eliminate the problem, but it's a more expensive solution for golf courses that are already feeling the impact of less golfers and revenue. I'd rather see courses give a quick education on the proper use of carts, i.e. you don't ride with your playing partner to his ball, wait for him to take his shot and then drive over to your ball to take your shot.  Instead ride to closest ball, drop him off with his clubs and then ride to your ball. [/quote] Maybe it's true that the impetus ultimately lies with the player, but isn't it possible that two-person carts just don't make it evident how to use them properly? Single-person carts would certainly eliminate much of that. For example, the correct way to use a two-person cart is to drive up to one ball, drop that person off with some clubs, and drive to the other one, right? The problem is with the people who drive to one ball, wait for the green to clear, hit that ball, and then drive to the other, certainly, but in a single person cart there would be no reason to do it the incorrect way. The person in cart B isn't going to wait with the person in cart A, they're going to scooter over to their own ball. Shouldn't that speed up play?